ABUJA, Nigeria — Gunmen have abducted 39 people in northwest Nigeria who were meeting with the family of a bandit leader, the police said Monday.

Some 47 residents were meeting with the parents of the suspected kidnap kingpin for “reconciliation and peace engagement” when the bandit leader arrived and abducted most of them, police spokesperson Yazid Abubakar said in a statement.

The mass abduction occurred on Sunday in Magamin Diddi community in the Maradun area of Zamfara State in the northeastern region.

Communities who feel the military does not protect them from constant attacks in northern Nigeria often negotiate with the groups.

Nigeria is facing a complex security crisis, especially in the north, where a more than decade-long insurgency and the activities of armed groups that carry out kidnappings for ransom and illegal mining have heightened the country’s security challenges.

The insurgency in the country’s northeast has killed thousands of people and displaced millions, according to the United Nations.